Method for sewing slide fastener, and slide fastener product

ABSTRACT

A method for sewing a slide fastener includes forming end edge portion needle drop points in at least two positions, within an overlapped portion in which the work piece is folded, within a range more toward a tip side of an end edge portion of the work piece than half of an overlapped width, and within a range on an inner side of a width of a leg portion of an interlocking element. Sewing is performed with sewing thread passing from a head portion needle drop point to the end edge portion needle drop point of one end portion and sewing thread passing from the end edge portion needle drop point of another end portion to the head portion needle drop point of an adjacent interlocking element each passing either side of the leg portion.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for sewing a slide fastenerand a slide fastener product employing the above method.

BACKGROUND ART

There is a slide fastener provided with a pair of interlocking elementlinked members in which a plurality of interlocking elements are linkedwith a string portion and a slider which connects and separates the pairof interlocking element linked members.

The interlocking elements of the slide fastener includes leg portionsfixed to the string portion and head portions which interlock with eachother when the pair of interlocking element linked members areconnected. Each of the interlocking elements in each interlockingelement linked member is fixed to the string portion in a state with allof the head portions pointing the same direction (for example, PatentDocument 1).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: JP S40-13870 Y

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Such slide fastener is sewn by sewing the interlocking element linkedmember to an end edge of a sheet material as a work piece by overlockstitching using an overlock sewing machine.

However, when the interlocking element linked member is sewn by overlockstitching, the binging force on each interlocking element with relationto the work piece is weak. The head portion of the interlocking elementsshake around the axis along the longitudinal direction of theinterlocking element linked member and shake along the longitudinaldirection of the interlocking element linked member. Consequently,smooth operation using the slider is difficult when the interlockingelement linked members are linked or separated.

The purpose of the present invention is to suitably sew the interlockingelement linked member.

Solution to Problem

According to aspect 1, a method for sewing a slide fastener to sew aninterlocking element linked member of a slide fastener to an end edgeportion of a work piece, the slide fastener including the interlockingelement linked member in which a plurality of interlocking elements arelinked with a string portion, wherein the interlocking element includesa leg portion supported by the string portion and a head portion whichinterlocks with an interlocking element of another interlocking elementlinked member as a pair and which projects from the leg portion, thesewing method including: by sewing, forming a head portion needle droppoint on a head portion side of the interlocking element with relationto the string portion and an end edge portion needle drop point on anend edge portion side of the work piece with relation to the stringportion, wherein the end edge portion needle drop points are provided inat least two positions, which are a one end portion and another endportion, within an overlapped portion folding the work piece, within arange toward a tip side of the end edge portion than half of anoverlapped width in the overlapped portion with relation to a projectingdirection of the head portion of the interlocking element, and within arange on an inner side of a width of the leg portion of the interlockingelement in a longitudinal direction of the string portion; and sewing inwhich sewing thread passing from the head portion needle drop point tothe end edge portion needle drop point of the one end portion and sewingthread passing from the end edge portion needle drop point of theanother end portion to the head portion needle drop point of an adjacentinterlocking element each pass a side on either side of the leg portionof the interlocking element in the longitudinal direction of the stringportion.

According to aspect 2, a method for sewing a slide fastener to sew aninterlocking element linked member of a slide fastener to an end edgeportion of a work piece, the slide fastener including the interlockingelement linked member in which a plurality of interlocking elements arelinked with a string portion, wherein the interlocking element includesa leg portion supported by the string portion and a head portion whichinterlocks with an interlocking element of another interlocking elementlinked member as a pair and which projects from the leg portion, thesewing method comprising: by sewing, forming a head portion needle droppoint on a head portion side of the interlocking element with relationto the string portion and an end edge portion needle drop point on anend edge portion side of the work piece with relation to the stringportion, wherein the end edge portion needle drop point is provided intwo positions which are one end portion and another end portion in arange on an inner side of a width of the leg portion of the interlockingelement in the longitudinal direction of the string portion and aposition which is in a range farther from the interlocking element thanthe above two positions and which is in a range on the inner side of thewidth of the leg portion of the interlocking element; and sewing inwhich sewing thread from the head portion needle drop point to the endedge portion needle drop point provided in the one end portion andsewing thread from the end edge portion needle drop point provided inthe other end portion to the head portion needle drop point of theadjacent interlocking element each pass a side on either side of the legportion of the interlocking element in a longitudinal direction of thestring portion.

Aspect 3 describes the method for sewing the slide fastener according toaspect 2, wherein the end edge needle drop point is within an overlappedportion folding the work piece.

Aspect 4 describes the method for sewing the slide fastener according toany one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein, the slide fastener includes a pairof interlocking element linked members and a slider which links andseparates the pair of interlocking element linked members, and the endedge portion needle drop point provided in the one end portion and theend edge portion needle drop point provided in the other end portion areprovided within a range in which the slider passes over the work piece.

Aspect 5 describes the method for sewing the slide fastener according toany one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein a stitch of the sewing is formed by astitch of lock stitching.

Aspect 6 describes the method for sewing the slide fastener according toaspect 5, wherein the stitch of the lock stitching is formed by zigzagsewing.

According to aspect 7, a slide fastener product includes: a slidefastener including, a pair of interlocking elements in which a pluralityof interlocking elements are linked with a string portion; and a sliderin which the pair of interlocking element linked members are linked andseparated, and a sewn product wherein each interlocking element linkedmember in the pair of interlocking element linked members are sewnseparately in one of two positions of the end edge portion, wherein, theinterlocking element includes a leg portion supported by the stringportion and a head portion which interlocks with an interlocking elementof another interlocking element linked member as a pair and whichprojects from the leg portion, a head portion needle drop point isformed by sewing on a head portion side of the interlocking element withrelation to the string portion and an end edge portion needle drop pointis formed by sewing on an end edge portion side of the work piece withrelation to the string portion, the end edge portion needle drop pointsare provided in at least two positions, which are a one end portion andanother end portion, within an overlapped portion folding the workpiece, within a range toward a tip side of the end edge portion thanhalf of an overlapped width in the overlapped portion with relation to aprojecting direction of the head portion of the interlocking element,and within a range on an inner side of a width of the leg portion of theinterlocking element in a longitudinal direction of the string portion,and sewing thread passing from the head portion needle drop point to theend edge portion needle drop point of the one end portion and sewingthread passing from the end edge portion needle drop point of theanother end portion to the head portion needle drop point of an adjacentinterlocking element each pass a side on either side of the leg portionof the interlocking element.

According to aspect 8, a slide fastener product includes: a slidefastener including, a pair of interlocking elements in which a pluralityof interlocking elements are linked with a string portion; and a sliderin which the pair of interlocking element linked members are linked andseparated, and a sewn product wherein each interlocking element linkedmember in the pair of interlocking element linked members are sewnseparately in one of two positions of the end edge portion, wherein, theinterlocking element includes a leg portion supported by the stringportion and a head portion which interlocks with an interlocking elementof another interlocking element linked member as a pair and whichprojects from the leg portion, a head portion needle drop point isformed by sewing on a head portion side of the interlocking element withrelation to the string portion and an end edge portion needle drop pointis formed by sewing on an end edge portion side of the work piece withrelation to the string portion, the end edge portion needle drop pointis provided in two positions which are one end portion and another endportion in a range on an inner side of a width of the leg portion of theinterlocking element in the longitudinal direction of the string portionand a position which is in a range farther from the interlocking elementthan the above two positions and which is in a range on the inner sideof the width of the leg portion of the interlocking element, and sewingthread from the head portion needle drop point to the end edge portionneedle drop point provided in the one end portion and sewing thread fromthe end edge portion needle drop point provided in the other end portionto the head portion needle drop point of the adjacent interlockingelement each pass a side on either side of the leg portion of theinterlocking element.

Aspect 9 describes the slide fastener product according to aspect 8,wherein the end edge needle drop point is within an overlapped portionfolding the work piece along the end edge portion.

Aspect 10 describes the slide fastener product according to any one ofaspects 7 to 10, wherein the end edge portion needle drop point providedin the one end portion and the end edge portion needle drop pointprovided in the other end portion are provided within a range in whichthe slider passes over the work piece.

Aspect 11 describes the slide fastener product according to any one ofaspects 7 to 10, wherein a stitch of the sewing is formed by a stitch oflock stitching.

Aspect 12 describes the slide fastener product according to aspect 11,wherein the stitch of the lock stitching is formed by zigzag sewing.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, by forming the head portion needledrop point and the end edge portion needle drop point, the movement ofthe interlocking element along the longitudinal direction of theinterlocking element linked member, the shaking of the head portion ofthe interlocking element along the longitudinal direction of theinterlocking element linked member, and the shaking of the head portionof the interlocking element around the axis in the longitudinaldirection of the interlocking element can be reduced and suppressed.Therefore, suitable sewing of the slide fastener is realized and thelinking or separating operation by the slider can be performed smoothlyin the slide fastener product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a planar view of a slide fastener according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged planar view showing a slide fastener product.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an interlocking element.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged planar view cutting out a portion of aninterlocked state of the interlocking elements.

FIG. 5 is a diagram viewing from the rear a needle drop point of thestitch in the interlocking element linked member on the left side.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged planar view showing a comparative example (1) ofthe slide fastener product.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged planar view showing a comparative example (2) ofthe slide fastener product.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged planar view showing an example (2) of the slidefastener product.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged planar view showing an example (3) of the slidefastener product.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged planar view of another example of the slidefastener product.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a zigzag sewing machine according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a throat plate.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing surroundings of a needle dropposition.

FIG. 14 is a planar view showing a fastener conveying mechanism.

FIG. 15 is a rear view showing the fastener conveying mechanism.

FIG. 16 is a rear view showing surroundings of the needle drop position.

FIG. 17 is a planar view showing an upper cover of a base plate of asupporting mechanism and an upper cover of a supporting arm taken off.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example applying a pulley withteeth to a transmission mechanism.

FIG. 19 is a rear view of a conveying mechanism showing an air cylinderwhich applies movement operation linked to the base plate.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[Summary of Slide Fastener Product]

Below, a slide fastener product 1 and a zigzag sewing machine 100suitable for sewing the slide fastener product 1 are described in detailas an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a planar view of the slide fastener product 1.

Daily necessities such as clothes, shoes, bags and other non-dailynecessities may be an object considered as the slide fastener product 1.That is, any product in which a slide fastener 10 can be used for thepurpose of connecting work pieces in a sheet shape and opening andclosing notch portions and openings of the work piece may be the object.

The slide fastener product 1 includes the slide fastener 10 and a workpiece 2 on which the slide fastener 10 is sewn.

The work piece 2 of the slide fastener product 1 may be any sheet shapedmaterial on which sewing can be performed. For example, the work piece 2may be cloth, textile, leather, synthetic resin, or the like.

The work piece 2 includes two end edge portions 2 a opposed to eachother. An overlapped portion 2 b is formed in the end edge portion 2 a.In the overlapped portion 2 b, a material of the work piece 2 is foldedtoward the rear surface side.

Then, each interlocking element linked member 13 in a pair of theinterlocking element linked members 13 of the slide fastener 10 is sewnto each end edge portion 2 a along the end edge portion 2 a.

The present embodiment shows each end edge portion 2 a of the work piece2 in the slide fastener product 1 in a straight line shape. The shape ofthe end edge portions 2 a is one example, and the slide fastener 10 canbe applied in other curved shapes such as an arched shape.

In the description regarding the slide fastener product 1 and the slidefastener 10, a direction along the end edge portion 2 a of the workpiece 2 is a Y-axis direction, a direction parallel to a plane of thework piece and orthogonal to the Y-axis direction is a X-axis direction,and a direction orthogonal to a plane of the work piece is a Z-axisdirection.

Further, the pair of interlocking element linked members 13 of the slidefastener 10 is sewn to the end edge portion 2 a of the work piece 2along the Y-axis direction. An operation direction in which a slider 14connects the interlocking element linked members 13 is to be “front” (upin the sheet of FIG. 1), the operation direction to separate is to be“rear” (down in the sheet of FIG. 1). Facing the front, the left handside is to be “left”, and the right hand side is to be “right”.Orthogonal to the sheet, a near side of the sheet in FIG. 1 is to be“up”, and the rear side of the sheet is to be “down”.

According to the above definition, FIG. 1 shows the work piece 2 withthe front surface of the work piece 2 facing the upper side and the rearsurface of the work piece 2 facing the lower side.

[Slide Fastener]

FIG. 2 is an enlarged planar view of the slide fastener 10.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the slide fastener 10 includes the pairof interlocking element linked members 13 in which a plurality ofinterlocking elements 11 are linked by a string portion 12, and theslider 14 which connects and separates the pair of interlocking elementlinked members 13.

The interlocking elements 11 include a leg portion 111 through which thestring portion 12 penetrates, and a head portion 112 projecting from theleg portion 111. The interlocking element linked member 13 includes theplurality of interlocking elements 11 fixed to the string portion 12 atan even interval with the head portion 112 pointing the same direction.

The string portion 12 which links the interlocking elements 11 is astring shape with strength and low elasticity. Material such asmonofilament, multifilament, twisted thread, twisted string, or acomposite material of the above can be used, and the structure or typeof the string is not limited.

The string portion 12 can be a soft material which easily bends. In astate where the string portion 12 has flexibility but external force isnot received, the string portion 12 may include stiffness enough tomaintain a straight shape.

The pair of interlocking element linked members 13 is sewn to each endedge portion 2 a of the work piece 2 so that the head portions 112 ofthe interlocking elements 11 oppose to each other.

The slider 14 is formed with a guide path at the front end portion sothat each interlocking element linked member 13 can pass throughseparately. The guide paths are joined inside the slider 14, and becomeone guide path at the rear end portion.

That is, if the separated pair of interlocking element linked members 13enters the guide paths from the front end portion side of the slider 14,the head portions 112 of each of the interlocking elements 11 in theinterlocking element linked members 13 interlock with each other, andthe pair of interlocking element linked members 13 are linked to eachother before passing the rear end portion of the slider 14.

On the other hand, if the connected pair of interlocking element linkedmembers 13 enters the guide path from the rear end portion side of theslider 14, the interlocked state of the head portions 112 of each of theinterlocking elements 11 in the interlocking element linked members 13is released, and the pair of interlocking element linked members 13 areseparated from each other before passing the front end portion of theslider 14.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the interlocking element 11. FIG. 3shows the interlocking element 11 of the interlocking element linkedmember 13 on the left side in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. According to FIG. 3,the sections in the interlocking element 11 are described according tothe direction of the interlocking element 11 of the interlocking elementlinked member 13 on the left side.

In the interlocking element 11 of the interlocking element linked member13 on the right side, only the left and right directions of the headportion 112 are opposite, and the structure itself is the same.

The interlocking element 11 includes, for example, a thermoplastic resinsuch as polyamide, polyacetal, polypropylene, polybutyleneterephthalate. The interlocking elements 11 are formed as one with thestring portion 12 by injection molding to the string portion 12.

The interlocking element 11 is not limited to the thermoplastic resin,and the interlocking element 11 is formed by performing die-cast moldingusing metal such as aluminum alloy, zinc alloy or magnesium alloy.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the interlocking element 11 includes aleg portion 111 in a substantial rectangular solid shape, and the stringportion 12 penetrates from one side 116 to the other side 117 in thewidth direction to be fixed to the leg portion 111.

The “width direction of the leg portion 111” shows the direction alongthe longitudinal direction of the string portion 12.

The left end portion of the leg portion 111 faces the end edge portion 2a of the work piece 2 and the right end portion includes a head portion112 projecting to the right. Then, a concave portion 113 caved along theY-axis direction is formed throughout the entire length of the Z-axisdirection on both sides of the front and the rear in the boundaryportion of the head portion 112 and the leg portion 111.

The head portion 112 is in a shape projected to the right and with abase portion constricted on both sides by the concave portion 113. Thefront end portion and the rear end portion of the head portion 112 areboth in a swelled shape in a curve from a planar view.

The shape of the concave portion 113 from the planar view matches withthe shape of the front end portion and the rear end portion of the headportion 112 from the planar view, and the shape is caved in a curve.

Therefore, in the linked state of the pair of the interlocking elementlinked members 13, the front end portion or the rear end portion of twoadjacent head portions 112 of the interlocking element 11 in the otherinterlocking element linked member 13 is fitted in the concave portion113 on both sides of the head portion 112 of the interlocking element 11of one interlocking element linked member 13.

With this, in the linked state of the pair of interlocking elementlinked members 13, the head portions 112 of the interlocking elements 11are bound to each other in the front and rear direction, and the pair ofinterlocking element linked members 13 are maintained so as not to beseparated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of interlocking elements 11 in theinterlocking element linked members 13 are linked to the string portion12 with a certain interval in between each other. The size of theinterval of the interlocking elements 11 is set so that when the pair ofinterlocking element linked members 13 are linked, the head portion 112of the interlocking element 11 of the interlocking element linked member13 is fitted in the concave portion 113 of the other interlockingelement linked member 13 without a gap.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged planar view cutting out a portion of theinterlocked state of the interlocking elements 11. As shown in FIG. 3and FIG. 4, a concave groove 114 is formed along the Y-axis direction ina projecting end portion (right end portion) of the head portion 112 ofthe interlocking element 11.

Further, a plate-shaped protrusion 115 projecting to the right at aheight the same as the concave groove 114 is formed on the inner side ofthe concave portion 113 on both sides in the front and the rear of theinterlocking elements 11.

Such concave groove 114 and protrusion 115 are structured so that if thepair of interlocking element linked members 13 are linked, theprojection 115 on both sides of the front and the rear of theinterlocking element 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13fits in the concave groove 114 of the interlocking element 11 in theother interlocking element linked member 13.

With this, the head portion 112 of the interlocking element 11 in oneinterlocking element linked member 13 and the head portion 112 of theinterlocking element 11 in the other interlocking element linked member13 are bound to each other in the Z-axis direction. Even if externalforce is applied in the Z-axis direction, the linked state iseffectively maintained.

Example (1) of Preferable Needle Drop Point in Sewing Slide Fastener

The sewing method of the slide fastener 10 and the needle drop point ofthe stick to be formed according to an example (1) is described based onFIG. 2 and FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the needle drop point of thestitch in the interlocking element linked member 13 on the left side.

The interlocking element linked member 13 of the slide fastener 10 issewn on the end edge portion 2 a of the work piece 2 by stitches of lockstitching formed by the later described zigzag sewing machine 100.Therefore, the stitches on the front surface side of the work piece 2 isformed by a needle thread U, and the stitches on the rear surface sideare formed by a bobbin thread D.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the interlocking element linked member 13 issewn, by sewing with 2-step zigzag sewing using the zigzag sewingmachine 100, for one interlocking element 11, a head portion needle droppoint a1 to the head portion 112 side of the interlocking element 11with relation to the string portion 12 is formed, and end edge portionneedle drop points a2 to a6 to the end edge portion 2 a side of the workpiece 2 with relation to the string portion 12 are formed. Such needledrop points are formed in order from a1 to a6.

Then, the interlocking element 11 is fixed to the work piece 2 by thestitches t1 to t6 formed by the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D.

t1: stitch formed between needle drop points a1 to a2

t2: stitch formed between needle drop points a2 to a3

t3: stitch formed between needle drop points a3 to a4

t4: stitch formed between needle drop points a4 to a5

t5: stitch formed between needle drop points a5 to a6

t6: stitch formed between needle drop points a6 to a11 (head portionneedle drop point a1 of the interlocking element 11 on the rear adjacentside, for the purpose of description and discrimination, also describedas “all” in the description and FIG. 2, similarly applies to laterdescribed FIG. 6 to FIG. 10)

The sewing is not limited to 2-step zigzag sewing, and zigzag sewing oftwo or more points can be applied.

In the Y-axis direction, the head portion needle drop point a1 is in aposition near the side 116 on the front side of the leg portion 111 inthe interlocking element 11 as the fixed target. In the X-axisdirection, the head portion needle drop point a1 is in a position nearthe string portion 12 on the right side of the string portion 12.

Regarding such head portion needle drop point a1, the zigzag sewingmachine 100 enters the needle in a position where there is nothing. Thesewing needle of the sewing machine 100 is able to contact the stringportion 12 and the interlocking element 11 when the sewing needle israised to form a loop of the thread needle U, and can be caught by thehook to be twined to the bobbin thread D. Therefore, a knot can beformed with the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D in the headportion needle drop point a1.

The end edge portion needle drop points a2 to a6 are all positioned inthe region R1 which is in the overlapped portion 2 b of the work piece 2and which is within the range of the width of the leg portion 111 in theY-axis direction in the interlocking element 11 as the fixed target.

Further, preferably, as for only the following two points, specifically,the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 among the end edgeportion needle drop points a2 to a6, the two points are positioned inthe region R2 on a tip 2 aa side of the end edge portion 2 a in theregion R1 with a width w/2 which is half of an overlapped width w of theoverlapped portion 2 b of the work piece 2 as the center. In FIG. 2, theregions R1 and R2 are displayed with hatching, but this is to clearlyshow the range of each region.

The above two end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 areseparately positioned in a one end portion (front end portion) andanother end portion (rear end portion) in the Y-axis direction in theregion R2.

Preferably, the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 arepositioned toward the front side and toward the rear side as much aspossible in the region R2.

Preferably, the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 arepositioned toward the tip 2 aa of the end edge portion 2 a as much aspossible in the X-axis direction in the region R2.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the work piece 2 is folded and theoverlapped portion 2 b is formed, a flat portion along the X-Y plane anda portion curved by the fold are formed in the end edge portion 2 a ofthe work piece 2.

Preferably, the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 arepositioned in the X-axis direction within the range of the width v inthe portion curved by the fold.

The three points of the end edge portion needle drop points a3 to a5 arewithin the region in the region R1 and farther from the tip 2 aa of theend edge portion 2 a than the region R2. The three points are positionedaligned in one row along the Y-axis direction within the range betweenthe end edge portion needle drop point a2 and the end edge portionneedle drop point a6 in the Y-axis direction.

Sewing with the zigzag sewing machine 100 is performed as follows. Theend edge portion 2 a of the work piece 2 and the string portion 12 ofone interlocking element linked member 13 are aligned along the Y-axisdirection close to each other. The above is fed forward while the sewingneedle swings along the X-axis direction. From the interlocking element11 on the front side, the needle is entered in order from the needledrop point a1 to the needle drop point a6 for each interlocking element11. The stitches t1 to t6 of the lock stitching are formed.

As a result of the sewing, the stitch t1 formed by the needle thread Uand the bobbin thread D between the needle drop points a1 to a2, and thestitch t6 formed by the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D betweenthe needle drop points a6 to a11 are formed to pass along the sides 116and 117 on both sides of the leg portion 111 in the Y-axis direction inthe interlocking element 11 as the fixed target.

This is due to the two points of the end edge portion needle drop pointsa2 and a6 being positioned in the front end portion and the rear endportion in the region R2.

For example, as shown in comparative example (1) in FIG. 6, if the twoend edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 are separated from thefront end portion and the rear end portion and close to each other inthe center portion in the region R2, the stitches t1 and t6 are notformed along the sides 116 and 117, and cross the upper surface of theleg portion 111 (the bobbin thread D crosses the lower surface). In FIG.6, the illustration of the end edge portion needle drop points a3 and a5are omitted.

However, as shown in FIG. 2, if the end edge portion needle drop pointsa2 and a6 are positioned in the front end portion and the rear endportion in the region R2, the stitch t1 and the stitch t6 of the needlethread U and the bobbin thread D can be formed to pass along the sides116 and 117.

Since the stitch t1 and the stitch t6 are formed to pass along the sides116 and 117, the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D which form thestitches t1 and t6 are in contact with the corner of the work piece 2side of the leg portion 111 in the interlocking element 11.

With this, the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D hold theinterlocking element 11 from the sides 116 and 117 so as to enwrap theinterlocking element 11. Therefore, the movement of the interlockingelement 11 moving along the Y-axis direction is suppressed, the headportion 112 of the interlocking element 11 shaking along the Y-axisdirection is suppressed, and the head portion 112 of the interlockingelement 11 shaking around the Y-axis is suppressed. Therefore, thelinking and separating operation of the slide fastener product 1 can beperformed smoothly by the slider 14.

On the other hand, if the stitch t1 and the stitch t6 are formed tocross as shown in FIG. 6, the needle thread U and the bobbin thread Dwhich form the stitches t1 and t6 do not come into contact with thecorner of the leg portion 111. Therefore, the movement and the shakingin various directions cannot be suppressed. Moreover, the smooth linkingor separating by the slider 14 becomes difficult.

For the purpose of comparison, FIG. 7 shows a comparative example (2) inwhich sewing is performed by forming stiches with the needle drop pointsa1, a3, a4, and a5, and excluding the needle drop points a2 and a6 inthe interlocking element 11.

According to the comparative example (2), even if the needle thread Uand the bobbin thread D in the stitch formed between the needle droppoints a1 to a3 and the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D in thestitch formed between the needle drop points a5 to a11 are formed topass along the sides 116 and 117, and are formed to come into contactwith the corner on the work piece 2 side of the leg portion 111, theeffect similar to the stitches t1 and t6 cannot be obtained.

According to the comparative example (2), there are no needle droppoints a2 and a6, and the needle drop points a3 and a5 are separatedfrom the corner in the leg portion 111 of the interlocking element 11.Therefore, the effect of binding the interlocking element 11 through thecorner is small. There is a high possibility that the stitch is formedover the corner and crosses the upper surface of the leg portion 111.Therefore, it is not possible to sufficiently suppress theabove-described movement and the shaking of the interlocking element 11.

According to the preferable needle drop point shown in the example (1),in the overlapped portion 2 b of the work piece 2, the end edge portionneedle drop points a3 to a5 are formed in the position farther from thehead portion needle drop point a1 than the end edge portion needle droppoints a2 and a6. With this, the bend of the work piece 2 in theoverlapped portion 2 b can be effectively suppressed, and the movementand the shaking of the interlocking element 11 can be suitablysuppressed.

The three end edge portion needle drop points a3 to a5 can be positionedin the region farther from the end edge portion tip 2 aa than the regionR1. In this case, the overlapped portion 2 b is held by the needlethread U and the bobbin thread D used in the stitch t2 formed betweenthe needle drop points a2 to a3 and the stitch t5 formed between theneedle drop points a5 to a6. With this, the bend in the work piece 2 inthe overlapped portion 2 b can be suppressed.

Each of the stitches t1 to t6 are stitches in the lock stitching.Therefore, the binding strength on the interlocking elements 11 can beeasily enhanced by adjusting the needle strength tension. With this, themovement and the shaking of the interlocking elements 11 can beeffectively suppressed.

Example (2) Showing Preferable Needle Drop Point in Sewing SlideFastener

The example (2) showing the method of sewing the slide fastener 10 andthe needle drop point of the formed stitch is described based on FIG. 8.FIG. 8 is a planar view of the slide fastener product 1A in which theslide fastener 10 is sewn on the work piece 2 at a preferable needledrop point.

In the slide fastener product 1A, the above-described head portionneedle drop point a1 and the above-described end edge portion needledrop points a2 and a6 are formed by sewing in order to sew theinterlocking elements 11 of the interlocking element linked members 13in the slide fastener 10. The above-described end edge portion needledrop points a3 to a5 are not formed.

The positions where the head portion needle drop point a1 and the endedge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 are formed is the same as theabove-described slide fastener product 1. Therefore, the end edgeportion needle drop points a2 and a6 are provided in the front endportion and the rear end portion of the region R2 in the overlappedportion 2 b of the sewn product 2. More preferably, the end edge portionneedle drop points a2 and a6 are provided within the range of the widthv in the portion curved by the fold (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 5).

Using the needle drop points a1, a2, and a6, the above-described stitcht1 is formed between the needle drop points a1 to a2, the stitch t7 isformed between the needle drop points a2 to a6, and the above-describedstitch t6 is formed between the needle drop points a6 to a11.

The sewing by the zigzag sewing machine 100 is performed by thefollowing process. The end edge portion 2 a of the work piece 2 and thestring portion 12 of one interlocking element linked member 13 arealigned along the Y-axis direction and placed close to each other. Theabove are fed forward while the sewing needle swings along the X-axisdirection. In order from the front side interlocking element 11, theneedle is entered in the order of the needle drop points a1, a2, and a6for each interlocking element 11, and the stitches t1, t7, and t6 of thelocked stitching are formed in order.

In this case also, the stitch t1 and the stitch t6 are formed to passalong the sides 116 and 117 on both sides of the leg portion 111 in theY-axis direction in the interlocking element 11 as the fixed target.

With this, since the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D hold theinterlocking element 11 so as to enwrap the interlocking element 11 fromthe sides 116 and 117, the interlocking element 11 moving along theY-axis direction, the head portion 112 shaking along the Y-axisdirection, and the head portion 112 shaking around the Y-axis directioncan be suppressed. Therefore, in the slide fastener product 1A, thelinking or the separating by the slider 14 can be performed smoothly.

Example (3) Showing Preferable Needle Drop Point in Sewing SlideFastener

The example (3) showing the sewing method of the slide fastener 10 andthe needle drop point of the formed stitch is described based on FIG. 9.FIG. 9 is a planar view showing the slide fastener product 1C in whichthe slide fastener 10 is sewn to the work piece 2 at the preferableneedle drop point.

In the slide fastener product 1C, the above-described head portionneedle drop point a1 and the above-described end edge portion needledrop points a2 to a6 are formed by sewing in order to sew theinterlocking elements 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13 ofthe slide fastener 10. Preferably, end edge portion needle drop pointsa3 to a5 are formed but these are not necessary.

The position where the head portion needle drop point a1 is formed isthe same as the above-described slide fastener product 1.

The positions where the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6are formed are related to the range where the above-described slider 14passes on the work piece 2. The line S shown in FIG. 9 shows a trackwhere the end on the most outer side of the slider 14 in the X-axisdirection passes when the slider 14 moves to link or separate the pairof interlocking element linked members 13. That is, the range on theinterlocking element linked member 13 side of the line S is where theslider 14 passes on the work piece 2. The end edge portion needle droppoints a2 and a6 are provided in the front end portion and the rear endportion in the region R3 which is within the range where the slider 14passes on the work piece 2 and which is on the inner side of the widthof the leg portion 111 in the Y-axis direction in the interlockingelement 11.

As described above, preferably, the end edge portion needle drop pointsa3 to a5 are provided in the region R1 but may be provided farther fromthe interlocking element linked member 13 than the overlapped portion 2b of the work piece 2.

Other Examples of Needle Drop Points when Sewing Slide Fastener

Other examples of the sewing method of the slide fastener 10 and needledrop points of the formed stiches are described with reference to FIG.10. FIG. 10 is a planar view showing the slide fastener product 1B inwhich the slide fastener 10 is sewn to the work piece 2 based on theother examples of the needle drop points.

In the slide fastener product 1B, the above-described head portionneedle drop point a1 and the above-described end edge portion needledrop points a3 to a5 are formed double by sewing in order to sew theinterlocking elements 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13 inthe slide fastener 10. The above-described end edge portion needle droppoints a2 and a6 are not formed.

The positions where the head portion needle drop point a1 and the endedge portion needle drop points a3 to a5 are formed are the same as theabove-described slide fastener product 1.

According to the above-described needle drop points a1 and a3 to a5, thestitches the same as the comparative example (2) shown in FIG. 7 areformed double.

Sewing with the zigzag sewing machine 100 is performed as follows. Theend edge portion 2 a of the work piece 2 and the string portion 12 ofone interlocking element linked member 13 are aligned along the Y-axisdirection close to each other. The above is fed forward while the sewingneedle swings along the X-axis direction. From the front sideinterlocking element 11 in order, the needle is entered in the needledrop point a1 and from the needle drop point a3 to the needle drop pointa5 in order for each interlocking element 11. The stitches of the lockstitching are formed in order.

Then, when the forming of the stitches throughout the entire length ofthe interlocking element linked member 13 ends, the process is repeatedagain, and the stitches are formed throughout the entire interlockingelement linked member 13 to form the double stitches.

Since the stitches by the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6are not formed, if the sewing is performed single, as shown in thecomparative example (2) in FIG. 7, the binding strength on theinterlocking element 11 becomes weak, and the movement and the shakingcannot be suppressed sufficiently. According to the example shown inFIG. 10, the sewing is performed double, and the binding strength on theinterlocking element 11 is compensated. With this, the movement and theshaking of the interlocking element 11 can be sufficiently suppressed.

Alternatively, the sewing can be performed double while forming stitchesusing the end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6, and theinterlocking element 11 can be bound more strongly.

Moreover, by repeating the forming of the stitches, the stitches can beformed triple or more.

[Zigzag Sewing Machine]

The zigzag sewing machine 100 suitable as the sewing machine for sewingthe pair of interlocking linked elements 13 to the work piece 2 in theslide fastener product 1 is described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the zigzag sewing machine 100.

The zigzag sewing machine 100 includes a sewing machine frame 20including a sewing machine head 21, a cloth presser foot 25 whichpresses from above the work piece 2 on the upper surface of the throatplate 24 provided in the sewing machine head 21, a needle verticalmovement mechanism which performs needle drop by vertically moving thesewing needle 26 on the work piece 2 on the throat plate 24 whileshaking the sewing needle 26 horizontally, a cloth feeding mechanismwhich uses a feed dog from a lower side of the throat plate 24 to feedthe sewn product 2 in a predetermined cloth feeding direction, a hookmechanism which twines the bobbin thread D to the needle thread U of thesewing needle 26, and a fastener conveying mechanism 40 which conveysthe interlocking element linked member 13 of the slide fastener 10.

The configurations other than the fastener conveying mechanism 40 arethe same as the well-known configurations provided in the typical zigzagsewing machine. Therefore, the illustration is omitted and a simpledescription is provided.

[Sewing Machine Frame]

The sewing machine frame 20 includes a sewing machine head 21 positionedin a lower portion of the entire zigzag sewing machine 100, a standingbody 22 provided standing upward on one end of the sewing machine head21, and a sewing machine arm 23 which extends from the upper end portionof the standing body 22 in a predetermined direction.

According to the description below, the longitudinal direction in thesewing machine head 21 and the sewing machine arm 23 of the zigzagsewing machine 100 are to be in the X-axis direction. The throat plate24 side of the sewing machine head 21 is to be “left” and the standingbody 22 side is to be “right”.

The zigzag sewing machine 100 conveys the work piece 2 and theinterlocking element linked member 13 on the throat plate 24 in thedirection orthogonal to the X-axis direction. Such conveying directionis to be the Y-axis direction and the downstream side of the conveyingdirection is to be “front”, and the upstream side of the conveyingdirection is to be “rear”.

The direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axisdirection is to be the Z-axis direction, and one side is “up” and theother side is “down”.

The X-axis direction to Z-axis direction defined as described above forthe slide fastener product 1 matches with the state in which the workpiece 2 and the interlocking element linked member 13 of the slidefastener product 1 are set in the zigzag sewing machine 100 when thesewing is performed.

[Needle Vertical Movement Mechanism]

The needle vertical movement mechanism includes a needle bar 27 whichholds the sewing needle 26, a sewing machine motor which is to be adriving source of the sewing, an arm shaft which is driven to rotate bythe sewing machine motor, a crank mechanism which converts the rotatingmotion of the arm shaft to the reciprocating motion in the verticaldirection applied to the needle bar 27, a needle bar supporting basewhich supports the needle bar so as to be able to move vertically, and aneedle swinging motor which freely moves the needle bar supporting basealong the X-axis direction.

The needle vertical mechanism moves the sewing needle 26 vertically atthe sewing speed according to the number of rotations of the sewingmachine motor. The needle vertical movement mechanism is able to freelyadjust the needle drop position of the sewing needle 26 along the X-axisdirection orthogonal to the conveying direction of the interlockingelement linked member 13.

[Hook Mechanism]

The hook mechanism includes a hook provided on the lower side of thethroat plate 24 and a transmission mechanism which applies rotationforce to the hook from the sewing machine motor.

The hook stores the bobbin wrapped with the bobbin thread D and storesthe blade point in the outer circumference. The blade point catches theloop of the sewing thread passing through the sewing needle 26, passesthe bobbin through the loop of the sewing thread to twine the bobbinthread D to the needle thread U, and forms a knot.

The vertical hook or the horizontal hook can be used as the hook, andthe hook which makes a half rotation or a full rotation can be used.

[Cloth Feeding Mechanism]

The cloth feeding mechanism includes a feed dog which appears from anopening 241 (see FIG. 12) of the throat plate 24, and a feedingtransmission mechanism which combines the reciprocating movement in theZ-axis direction and the reciprocating movement in the Y-axis directionand transmits the movement to the feed dog.

The feed dog includes saw-tooth shaped teeth which appear from theopening 241 formed in the throat plate 24. The feeding transmissionmechanism obtains power from the sewing machine motor and converts thereciprocating movement along the Z-axis direction and the reciprocatingmovement along the Y-axis direction. The power is transmitted to thefeed dog. With this, the feed dog moves in an oval movement combiningthe vertical and horizontal reciprocating movements in the Y-Z plane.When moving in the upper portion of the oval, the tips of the teethproject upward from the opening 241 and move forward. Therefore, thework piece 2 can be fed forward.

The cloth feeding mechanism is able to freely adjust the feeding amountof the work piece 2 in the Y-axis direction for each stitch.

Alternatively, a feeding adjustment motor can be provided in the clothfeeding mechanism to freely adjust the feeding amount of the cloth, andthe fed amount can be

[Throat Plate]

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the throat plate 24. The throat plate24 is provided in the needle drop position of the sewing needle 26 onthe upper surface of the sewing machine head 21. The upper surface ofthe throat plate 24 is flat and the throat plate 24 is mounted so thatthe upper surface of the throat plate 24 is to be on the same plane asthe upper surface of the sewing machine head 21.

The throat plate 24 is a rectangular flat plate and work piece 2 isconveyed along the Y-axis direction along the left half side of theupper surface.

In the center of the throat plate 24, the needle eyelet 242 in a slitshape is formed penetrating along the X-axis direction. Three openings241 are formed penetrating the front, rear, and left side of the needleeyelet 242, and the above-described feed dog appears from the openings.The needle eyelet 242 is formed in a slit along the X-axis direction soas to be able to correspond with the needle drop by the needle swingingalong the X-axis direction.

A feeding groove 243 for the interlocking element linked member 13 alongthe Y-axis direction is formed in the center of the upper surface of thethroat plate 24 in the X-axis direction. Such feeding groove 243 isformed so that the width in the X-axis direction is substantially thesame as or slightly wider than the length of the interlocking element 11in the X-axis direction. The interlocking element linked member 13 isplaced in the feeding groove 243 so as to be able to guide theinterlocking element linked member 13 along the Y-axis direction thesame as the conveying direction of the work piece 2.

The depth of the feeding groove 243 is shallower than half the length ofthe interlocking element 11 in the Z-axis direction and the work piece 2on the throat plate 24 is placed in the center of the Z-axis directionof the interlocking element 11 with relation to the interlocking element11. The front end portion and the rear end portion of the feeding groove243 are formed so that the inner base of the groove is in a slope shape.

The above-described needle eyelet 242 is formed so as to cross thecenter of the feeding groove 243 in the Y-axis direction.

The throat plate 24 functions as the fastener guide to guide theinterlocking element linked member 13 in the same Y-axis direction asthe feeding direction of the work piece 2 using the feeding grove 243.

[Cloth Presser Foot]

FIG. 13 is a perspective view around the needle drop position. The clothpresser foot 25 is supported pressed downward on the throat plate 24 bythe supporting bracket 251 provided in the sewing machine head 21.

Such cloth presser foot 25 is a rectangular plate shape along the Y-axisdirection, and a notch 252 in a half oval shape to avoid the fallingsewing needle 26 is formed in the end edge portion on the right side ofthe cloth presser foot 25. Such notch 252 overlaps with the left half ofthe needle eyelet 242 of the throat plate 24 viewed from above.

The cloth presser foot 25 applies presser foot pressure on the workpiece 2 conveyed on the throat plate 24 with the pressure from thesupporting bracket 251.

[Fastener Conveying Mechanism]

FIG. 14 is a planar view showing the fastener conveying mechanism 40.FIG. 15 is a rear view.

As shown in the drawings, the fastener conveying mechanism 40 includes aconveying gear 41 provided with teeth which interlock with theinterlocking element 11 in the interlocking element linked member 13, aconveying motor 42 which applies a rotation operation on the conveyinggear 41, a supporting mechanism 43 which supports the conveying gear 41,a transmission mechanism 48 which transmits rotation force to theconveying gear 41 from the conveying motor 42, and a fastener presserfoot 49 which prevents the interlocking element linked member 13conveyed by the conveying gear 41 from floating upward.

FIG. 16 is a rear view around the needle drop position.

As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 16, the conveying gear 41 is a spur gearprovided with teeth on the outer circumference so as to interlock withthe head portion 112 of one or a plurality of interlocking elements 11in the interlocking element linked member 13 along the Y-axis direction.The conveying gear 41 is supported by the supporting mechanism 43 so asto be able to rotate around the Z-axis.

The pitch width of the conveying gear 41 matches with the pitch of theinterlocking elements 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13,and the tooth width of the conveying gear 41 is substantially the sameas the width subtracting the depth of the feeding groove 243 on thethroat plate 24 from the length of the interlocking element 11 in theZ-axis direction. Therefore, the upper surface of the interlockingelement 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13 conveyed in thefeeding groove 243 of the throat plate 24 is at the same height as theupper surface of the conveying gear 41.

The conveying gear 41 is positioned to the right of the needle dropposition and is positioned to interlock from the right side with theinterlocking element linked member 13 in which the head portions 112 ofthe interlocking elements 11 face the right.

Therefore, when the rotation is applied to the conveying gear 41, theinterlocking element linked member 13 can be conveyed along the Y-axisdirection.

As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 16, the fastener presser foot 49 issupported by a base plate 45 of the supporting mechanism 43 in the frontof the needle drop position and extends toward the rear to the needledrop position.

The lower surface of the extending end portion of the fastener presserfoot 49 is at a height in contact with or close to the upper surface ofthe interlocking element 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13in the feeding groove 243 of the throat plate 24 in the needle dropposition.

This prevents the interlocking element linked member 13 meshed with theconveying gear 41 from floating upward from the conveying gear 41 in thefeeding groove 243.

A notch 491 in the half oval shape is formed in the fastener presserfoot 49 in the end edge portion on the left side of the extending endportion in order to avoid the falling sewing needle 26. Such notch 491overlaps with the right half of the needle eyelet 242 of the sewingneedle 24 viewed from above.

FIG. 17 is a planar view showing a state in which an upper cover 451 ofthe base plate 45 of the supporting mechanism 43 and an upper cover 441of the supporting arm 44 are detached.

As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 17, the supporting mechanism 43 includes asupporting arm 44 which supports the conveying gear 41, a base plate 45which supports the supporting arm 44, and a sliding guide 46 supportsthe base plate 45 so as to be able to slide along the X-axis direction.

The base plate 45 is a flat plate along the X-Y plane and is placed onthe sewing machine head 21 with the sliding guide 46 in between to bepositioned between the needle drop position and the standing body 22.

The base plate 45 supports the conveying gear 41 through the supportingarm 44 and also supports the conveying motor 42 and the transmissionmechanism 48.

The base plate 45 includes an upper cover 451 in the upper portion ofthe base plate 45, and a portion of the transmission mechanism 48supported by the base plate 45 is covered.

The slide guide 46 includes a movable block 461 fixed linked to the baseplate 45 and a slide rail 462 attached to the sewing machine head 21along the X-axis direction so as to be able to slide the base plate 45along the X-axis direction through the movement of the movable block461.

A regulating bracket 452 is provided in the right end of the base plate45 to define the sliding of the base plate 45 along the X-axisdirection.

The regulating bracket 452 extends to the right, and the extending endportion supports a linking screw 454 to be rotatable. A fixing plate 453in which a screw hole is formed to be able to screw in the linking screw454 is provided in the sewing machine head 21.

The left surface of the extending end portion of the regulating bracket452 and the right surface of the fixing plate 453 are linked to eachother in a state in contact with each other by a linking screw 454. Withthis, it is possible to fix the base plate 45 to the defined positionwhen sewing is performed. If the linking screw 454 is loosened and theregulating bracket 452 is separated to the right from the fixing plate453, the base plate 45 can be moved to the right from the definedposition. The right end portion of the base plate 45 comes into contactwith the left surface of the fixing plate 453 when the base plate 45 ismoved to the right. Such contact position is the movable limit of theright side of the base plate 45.

As described above, the base plate 45 supports the conveying gear 41through the supporting arm 44, and the conveying gear 41 comes intocontact with the interlocking element 11 of the conveyed interlockingelement linked member 13 from the right and conveys the above.

The defined position of the above-described base plate 45 during sewingis the position in which the tips of the teeth of the conveying gear 41suitably mesh with the head portions 112 of the interlocking elements 11and which is suitable for conveying by rotation when the interlockingelement linked member 13 is conveyed.

If the linking screw 454 is loosened and the regulating bracket 452 isseparated from the fixing plate 453, the base plate 45 moves to theright, the meshed state to the head portion 112 of the interlockingelement 11 in the interlocking element linked member 13 is released, andthe tips of the teeth of the conveying gear 41 are separated to theright.

With this, for example, the maintenance of the fastener conveyingmechanism 40 and the operation of detaching the interlocking elementlinked member 13 from the throat plate 24 can be easily performed.

As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 17, the supporting arm 44 supports thesupporting shaft 442 along the Z-axis direction to be rotatable in theleft end of the base plate 45. The rotating end portion of thesupporting arm 44 points diagonally to the rear right.

The rotating end portion of the supporting arm 44 supports the conveyinggear 41 to be rotatable through the supporting shaft 411.

The rotating end portion of the supporting arm 44 includes a latch plate412 in a plate spring shape so as to fit in a tooth groove of the outercircumference of the conveying gear 41. The latch plate 412 includes aprojection which presses the conveying gear 41 with contact at a certainspring pressure. The latch plate 412 prevents backlash of the conveyinggear 41.

An upper cover 441 is attached and fixed to the upper portion of thesupporting arm 44, and a one end portion of a tension spring 443 islinked to a front end portion of the upper cover 441. The other endportion of the tension spring 443 is linked to the base plate 45, andbias force is applied in the direction to make the conveying gear 41supported by the supporting arm 44 come closer to the interlockingelement linked member 13 side.

A regulating opening 445 is formed in the rotating end portion side ofthe upper cover 441 to loosely insert the extending end portion of therotating angle regulating plate 444 supported fixed by the base plate45.

With this, the rotatable angle range of the supporting arm 44 on thebase plate 45 is limited so that the conveying gear 41 only moves fromthe left limit position to the right limit position.

According to the rotatable angle range, the conveying gear 41 is able tomove from the position where the teeth of the conveying gear 41 suitablyinterlocks at a certain pressure with the head portions 112 of theinterlocking elements 11 in the interlocking element linked member 13positioned in the feeding groove 243 to the position where the conveyinggear 41 is completely separated from the interlocked state with the headportions 112 of the interlocking elements 11.

As described above, since the supporting arm 44 is able to rotate withina predetermined angle range, for example, the supporting arm 44 can berotated to the right manually while holding the base plate 45 in thedefined position for sewing, and after the sewing is finished, theinterlocked state between the conveying gear 41 and the interlockingelements 11 of the interlocking element linked member 13 is released soas to be able to detach the interlocking element linked member 13 fromthe state on the throat plate 24.

An origin sensor 413 of the conveying gear 41 and its detecting plate414 are provided on the upper surface of the upper cover 441 of thesupporting arm 44.

The detecting plate 414 is mounted fixed to the upper end portion of thesupporting shaft 411 in the conveying gear 41. The detecting plate 414extends in a radius direction with the supporting shaft 411 as thecenter.

The origin sensor 413 is a magnetic proximity sensor. The origin sensor413 is provided in the upper surface of the upper cover 441 within therange where the detecting plate 414 rotates around the supporting shaft411. The origin position of the conveying gear 41 is detected when thedetecting plate 414 comes near the origin sensor 413.

The conveying motor 42 is a stepping motor and the feeding amount of theinterlocking element linked member 13 by the conveying gear 41 can befreely controlled through the transmission mechanism 48.

As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the conveying motor 42 is attached onthe base plate 45 in a state with the output shaft pointing downward.

As shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 17, the transmission mechanism 48 includes amain driving pulley 481 which is mounted fixed to the output shaft ofthe conveying motor 42, an intermediate pulley 482 which is supported tobe rotatable with relation to the supporting shaft 442 of the supportingarm 44, a driven pulley 483 which is mounted fixed to the supportingshaft 411 of the conveying gear 41, a timing belt 484 which hangs fromthe main pulley 481 through the intermediate pulley 482 and to thedriven pulley 483, and a tension roller 485 which applies tension to thetiming belt 484.

The intermediate pulley 482 is able to rotate with relation to thesupporting shaft 442 of the supporting arm 44 and the intermediatepulley 482 is able to rotate independent from the rotation of thesupporting arm 44.

The driven pulley 483 is mounted fixed to the supporting shaft 411 ofthe conveying gear 41, and the conveying gear 41 is also fixed to thesupporting shaft 411. Therefore, the driven pulley 483 and the conveyinggear 41 rotate together at the same time.

The tension roller 485 is supported by a bell crank 486 provided in theupper cover 451 of the base plate 45, and the bell crank 486 is linkedto the tension spring 487 which applies tension in the direction thatthe tension roller 485 presses the timing belt 484 from the outer sideto the inner side.

As shown in FIG. 17, the tension roller 485 presses against the timingbelt 484 so that the timing belt 484 is in a substantial L shapeconnecting the positions of the main pulley 481, the intermediate pulley482, and the driven pulley 483 in order.

By maintaining the timing belt 484 in such shape, even if the supportingarm 44 is rotated, the bend in the timing belt 484 can be reduced, andthe difference in the angle between the output shaft angle of theconveying motor 42 and the rotating angle of the conveying gear 41 canbe reduced.

As shown in FIG. 18, all of the pulleys in the transmission mechanism 48including the main pulley 481, the intermediate pulley 482, and thedriven pulley 483 can be pulleys with teeth, and the timing belt 484 canbe a belt with teeth.

[Sewing of Slide Fastener Product by Zigzag Sewing Machine]

The sewing operation by the zigzag sewing machine 100 is described withan example in which the interlocking element linked member 13 on theleft side of the slide fastener 10 in the slide fastener product 1 shownin FIG. 2 is sewn to the end edge portion 2 a of the work piece 2.

First, the origin of the conveying gear 41 of the fastener conveyingmechanism 40 is searched. That is, the control apparatus included in thezigzag sewing machine 100 drives the conveying motor 42 to rotate theconveying gear 41, and detects the detecting plate 414 with the originsensor 413. Then, after the detecting plate 414 is detected, theconveying motor 42 is stopped at the origin position of the conveyinggear 41.

The user of the sewing machine turns the linking screw 454 and releasesthe linked state between the regulating bracket 452 and the fixing plate453, the user moves the base plate 45 to the right and evacuates theconveying gear 41 to the right of the needle drop position.

Next, the user of the sewing machine sets the interlocking elementlinked member 13 in the feeding groove 243 of the throat plate 24 sothat the first interlocking element 11 is positioned in the needle dropposition, and the work piece 2 is set under the cloth presser foot 25 sothat the end edge portion 2 a is placed along the left side of theinterlocking element linked member 13.

Then, the base plate 45 is moved to the left defined position forsewing, the linking screw 454 is turned, and the regulating bracket 452and the fixing plate 453 are linked again.

Then, the driving of the sewing machine motor starts. During the sewing,the needle swinging motor and the conveying motor 42 are controlled foreach needle drop so that the needle drop in the needle drop points a1 toa6 as shown in FIG. 2 is repeated. The sewing machine motor is providedwith an encoder and the timing to control the needle swinging motor andthe conveying motor 42 is detected for each stitch.

Specifically, when the sewing starts by the needle drop in the needledrop point a1, at a suitable timing detected by the encoder of thesewing machine motor, before the next needle drop, the needle swingingmotor swings the needle to the left to the needle drop point a2, and theconveying motor 42 feeds the interlocking element linked member 13forward to move the interlocking element linked member 13 forward in anamount to reach the needle drop point a2.

The positioning from the needle drop point a2 to the needle drop pointa3, the positioning from the needle drop point a3 to the needle droppoint a4, the positioning from the needle drop point a4 to the needledrop point a5, the positioning from the needle drop point a5 to theneedle drop point a6, and the positioning from the needle drop point a6to the needle drop point a1 in the next interlocking element 11 are allsimilarly performed.

The specific numeric value data for the amount that the needle swingingmotor swings the needle to perform the needle drop to the needle droppoints a1 to a6, and for the amount moved forward by the conveying motor42 is stored in advance in the data memory provided in the controlapparatus of the zigzag sewing machine 100. Therefore, the numeric valuedata is read for each needle drop.

When all of the interlocking elements 11 in the interlocking elementlinked member 13 are sewn to the work piece 2 by repeating the needledrop in the drop points a1 to a6, the operation of the sewing machinemotor, the needle swinging motor, and the conveying motor 42 stops.

Then, the user of the sewing machine turns the linking screw 454 andreleases the linked state between the regulating bracket 452 and thefixing plate 453. The user moves the base plate 45 to the right toevacuate the conveying gear 41 to the right of the needle drop position.With this, the work piece 2 and the interlocking element linked member13 can be removed from above the throat plate 24.

When the sewing is performed for only one interlocking element linkedmember 13 of the slide fastener 10 in the slide fastener product 1, thesewing for the other interlocking element linked member 13 is performed.In this case, the other interlocking element linked member 13 is set inthe feeding groove 243 of the throat plate 24, the work piece 2 is setso that the front and rear direction of the work piece 2 is reversedfrom the sewing of the one interlocking element linked member 13, andthe sewing of the interlocking element linked member 13 is similarlyperformed.

As described above, the specific numeric value data for the amount thatthe needle swinging motor swings the needle to perform the needle dropin the needle drop points a1 to a6, and for the amount moved forward bythe conveying motor 42 is stored in advance in the data memory.

In the sewing in which the needle is entered in the needle drop pointsas shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 10, the sewing by the zigzag sewing machine100 can be performed by storing in the data memory in advance thespecific numeric value for the amount that the needle swinging motorswings the needle to perform the needle drop in the needle drop pointsa1 to a6, and the amount moved forward by the conveying motor 42.

As shown in FIG. 19, an air cylinder 47 can be provided in the sewingmachine head 21. Such air cylinder 47 functions as the actuator whichperforms the movement along the direction to separate the base plate 45from the needle drop position of the conveying gear 41 by moving thebase plate 45 along the X-axis direction. Such air cylinder 47 isprovided on the sewing machine head 21 so that the operation directionof the piston rod is parallel with the X-axis direction and the pistonrod is linked to the base plate 45.

With this, the base plate 45 can be moved between the defined positionfor sewing and the evacuated position where the conveying gear 41 issufficiently separated from the interlocking element linked member 13.

In the air cylinder 47, the electromagnetic valve which performs themoving of the piston rod is controlled by the control apparatus of thezigzag sewing machine 100. Specifically, after the work piece 2 and theinterlocking element linked member 13 are set, and the search for theorigin of the conveying motor 42 is completed, the base plate 45 ismoved to the defined position for sewing when the sewing is started orbefore the sewing is started, and the base plate 45 is moved to theevacuating position after the sewing ends.

Technical Effect of Embodiment of Invention

According to the example shown in FIG. 2, by sewing performed in theabove-described slide fastener product 1, a head portion needle droppoint a1 to the head portion 112 side of the interlocking element 11with relation to the string portion 12, and the end edge portion needledrop points a2 to a6 to the end edge side 2 a of the work piece 2 withrelation to the string portion 12 are formed.

The end edge portion needle drop points a2 and a6 are formed as twopositions in one end and the other end of the region R2. The region R2is in the overlapped portion 2 b of the work piece 2, within the rangeof the end edge portion tip 2 aa side than w/2 which is half of theoverlapped width w of the overlapped portion 2 b in the X-axisdirection, and within the range of the inner side of the width of theleg portion 111 of the interlocking element 11 in the Y-axis direction.

The sewing is performed so that the needle thread U and the bobbinthread D of the stitch t1 from the head portion needle drop point a1 tothe end edge portion needle drop point a2 and the needle thread U andthe bobbin thread D of the stitch t6 from the end edge portion needledrop point a6 to the head portion needle drop point a1 of the adjacentinterlocking element 11 (head portion needle drop point a11 in FIG. 2)pass along the sides 116 and 117 on both sides of the leg portion 111 ofthe interlocking element 11 in the Y-axis direction.

With this, the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D of the stitchest1 and t6 are in contact with the corner on the work piece 2 side of theleg portion 111 in the interlocking element 11 and the interlockingelement 11 is held strongly so as to be wrapped. With this, the movingof the interlocking element 11 along the Y-axis direction, the shakingof the head portion 112 of the interlocking element 11 along the Y-axisdirection, and the shaking of the head portion 112 of the interlockingelement 11 around the Y-axis are reduced and suppressed. Therefore,preferable sewing of the slide fastener 10 can be realized, and theslide fastener product 1 can be smoothly linked or separated by theslider 14.

According to the slide fastener products 1A and 1C shown in the examplesof FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the interlocking element linked member 13 is sewnto the work piece 2 with the end edge portion needle drop pointincluding the above-described end edge portion needle drop points a2 anda6. Similar to the example shown in FIG. 2, the moving of theinterlocking element 11 along the Y-axis direction, the shaking of thehead portion 112 of the interlocking element 11 along the Y-axisdirection, and the shaking of the head portion 112 of the interlockingelement 11 around the Y-axis can be reduced and suppressed. Preferablesewing of the slide fastener 10 can be realized, and the slide fastenerproduct 1 can be smoothly linked or separated by the slider 14.

The end edge portion needle drop points a3 to a5 are provided inpositions within the region R1 of the overlapped portion 2 b of the workpiece 2 and farther from the interlocking element 11 than the end edgeportion needle drop points a2 and a6.

The needle thread U and the bobbin thread D as the sewing thread for thestitches t2 to t5 formed by the end edge portion needle drop points a3to a5 maintain the close contact state of the cloths of the work piece 2overlapped in the overlapped portion 2 b. Therefore, the bend and thedeforming in the overlapped portion 2 b are suppressed.

As a result, the moving of the interlocking element 11 along the Y-axisdirection, the shaking of the head portion 112 of the interlockingelement 11 along the Y-axis direction and the shaking of the headportion 112 of the interlocking element 11 around the Y-axis can bedecreased and suppressed. With this, the slide fastener product 1 can besmoothly linked and separated by the slider 14.

The end edge portion needle drop points a3 to a5 can be provided in theposition farther from the interlocking element 11 than the region R1 inthe overlapped portion 2 b of the work piece 2. In this case, the knotbetween the needle thread U and the bobbin thread D cannot directlymaintain the close contact state of the cloths of the work piece 2 inthe overlapped portion 2 b. However, the stitches t2 and t5 press thecloths of the work piece 2 overlapped in the overlapped portion 2 b.Therefore, the bend and the deforming in the overlapped portion 2 b canbe suppressed.

Specifically, the stitches t1 to t7 are formed by the stitches in thelock stitching. Therefore, a strong knot can be easily formed byadjusting the thread tension. With this, the moving of the interlockingelement 11 along the Y-axis direction, the shaking of the head portion112 of the interlocking element 11 along the Y-axis direction, and theshaking of the head portion 112 of the interlocking element 11 aroundthe Y-axis can be reduced and suppressed. Further, the smooth linking orthe separating by the slider 14 can be realized in the slide fastenerproduct 1.

According to the above-described zigzag sewing machine 100, the fastenerconveying mechanism 40 includes a conveying gear 41 which includes teethwhich interlock with the interlocking elements 11 of the interlockingelement linked member 13, a conveying motor 42 which applies rotatingoperation to the conveying gear 41, and the throat plate 24 which guidesthe interlocking element linked member 13 in the direction the same asthe feeding direction of the work piece 2.

With this, the needle swinging of the sewing needle 26, the conveying ofthe work piece 2, and the feeding of the interlocking element linkedmember 13 can be suitably performed in order to determine the positionwith relation to the above-described needle drop points a1 to a6.

Specifically, in conventional sewing machines, it is difficult to conveyobjects in which unevenness continues such as the plurality ofinterlocking elements 11 linked along the conveying direction as in theinterlocking element linked member 13. However, according to the zigzagsewing machine 100, the conveying is performed with the teeth of theconveying gear 41 interlocked with the head portions 112 of thecontinuous interlocking elements 11 in the interlocking element linkedmember 13. Therefore, the interlocking element linked member 13 can beconveyed accurately to the target position desired by the user.

Therefore, the needle drop can be accurately performed in the needledrop points a1 to a6, and the sewing of the interlocking element linkedmember 13 to the work piece 2 can be performed preferably.

The throat plate 24 as the fastener guide includes the feeding groove243 which guides the plurality of interlocking elements 11 of theinterlocking element linked member 13 along the same direction as thefeeding direction of the work piece 2. Therefore, when the head portion112 of the interlocking element 11 interlocks with the teeth of theconveying gear 41, the interlocking element linked member 13 stablymaintains the feeding direction, and the needle drop can be performedaccurately in the needle drop points a1 to a6.

The zigzag sewing machine 100 includes a fastener presser foot 49 whichprevents the interlocking element linked member 13 conveyed by theconveying gear 41 from floating upward. Therefore, when the head portion112 of the interlocking element 11 interlocks with the teeth of theconveying gear 41, the interlocking element linked member 13 can bestably maintained so as not to float upwards, and the needle drop can beperformed more accurately in the needle drop points a1 to a6.

The conveying gear 41 is supported by the supporting arm 44 to be ableto move along the direction to be separated from the needle dropposition. Therefore, the interlocking element linked member 13 can beeasily detached from the throat plate 24, and the workability isenhanced.

The conveying gear 41 is supported by the conveying motor 42, thetransmission mechanism 48, and the base plate 45, and is supported bythe slide guide 46 to be able to move along the direction in which theconveying gear 41 separates from the needle drop position. Therefore,the interlocking element linked member 13 can be easily removed from thethroat plate 24, and the workability is enhanced.

Further, since the conveying gear 41 is moved together with theconveying motor 42 and the transmission mechanism 48, it is possible tosuppress the origin position of the conveying gear 41 from beingdisplaced during the movement. Therefore, when returning to the sewingafter separating from the needle drop position, the origin search isomitted, and the next sewing can be performed immediately. With this,the efficiency of operation is enhanced.

When the movement for the conveying gear 41 by the base plate 45 isperformed with the air cylinder 47 as the actuator, manual operation isnot necessary. The burden of operation is reduced and the operation canbe performed speedily.

The zigzag sewing machine 100 includes a control apparatus which drivesthe conveying motor 42 at the timing defined based on the detection ofthe encoder of the sewing machine motor for each needle drop to move theinterlocking element linked member 13 in the feeding direction in themovement amount to the next needle drop point. With this, regarding theconveying direction of the interlocking element linked member 13, theinterlocking element linked member 13 can be conveyed to the needle droppoint as the goal in the sewing on the work piece 2, and the suitablesewing can be performed easily.

The zigzag sewing machine 100 includes a control apparatus which drivesthe needle swinging motor at a timing defined based on the detection ofthe encoder of the sewing machine motor for each needle drop to swingthe sewing needle in the needle swinging amount to the next needle droppoint. With this, regarding the direction orthogonal to the conveyingdirection of the interlocking element linked member 13, the sewingneedle can be moved to the needle drop point as the goal in the sewingon the work piece 2, and the suitable sewing can be performed easily.

[Others]

The structure of the head portion 112 of the interlocking element 11 inthe interlocking element linked members 13 of the slide fasteners 10 isnot limited to the structure shown in FIG. 4. For example, variousstructures for the head portion of the interlocking element used in atypical slide fastener can be applied.

If the feeding adjustment motor is provided in the cloth feedingmechanism and the feeding amount is adjusted by the feeding adjustmentmotor at the timing defined based on the detection of the encoder of thesewing machine motor, in addition to the needle swinging amount of theneedle swinging motor to perform the needle drop in the needle droppoints, and the forward movement amount of the conveying motor 42,specific numeral value data of the feeding amount by the feedingadjustment motor set for the work piece is prepared in the data memoryin advance. With this, the sewing of the interlocking element linkedmembers by the zigzag sewing machine 100 can be performed preferably.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be applied to sewing the slide fastener inwhich the interlocking elements are linked with a string portion.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1, 1A, 1B slide fastener product    -   2 work piece    -   2 a end edge portion    -   2 b overlapped portion    -   10 slide fastener    -   11 interlocking element    -   12 string portion    -   13 interlocking element linked member    -   14 slider    -   20 sewing machine frame    -   24 throat plate (fastener guide)    -   26 sewing needle    -   40 fastener conveying mechanism    -   41 conveying gear    -   42 conveying motor    -   45 base plate    -   46 slide guide    -   47 air cylinder (actuator)    -   100 zigzag sewing machine (sewing machine)    -   111 leg portion    -   112 head portion    -   116, 117 side    -   242 needle eyelet    -   243 feeding groove    -   413 origin sensor    -   414 detection plate    -   a1, a11 head portion needle drop point    -   a2 to a6 end edge portion needle drop point    -   D bobbin thread (sewing thread)    -   R1, R2 region    -   t1 to t7 stitch    -   U needle thread (sewing thread)

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for sewing a slide fastener to sewan interlocking element linked member of the slide fastener to an endedge portion of a work piece, the slide fastener including theinterlocking element linked member in which a plurality of interlockingelements are linked with a string portion, the interlocking elementincluding a leg portion supported by the string portion and a headportion which interlocks with an interlocking element of anotherinterlocking element linked member as a pair and which projects from theleg portion, and the sewing method comprising: by sewing, forming a headportion needle drop point on a head portion side of the interlockingelement with relation to the string portion and end edge portion needledrop points on an end edge portion side of the work piece with relationto the string portion, the end edge portion needle drop points beingprovided in at least two positions, the at least two positionscomprising a first end portion and a second end portion, and the firstend portion and the second end portion being provided within anoverlapped portion at which the work piece is folded, within a rangetoward a tip side of the end edge portion relative to a position that ishalf of an overlapped width in the overlapped portion along a projectingdirection of the head portion of the interlocking element, and within arange on an inner side of a width of the leg portion of the interlockingelement in a longitudinal direction of the string portion; and sewing inwhich sewing thread passing from the head portion needle drop point tothe end edge portion needle drop point of the first end portion andsewing thread passing from the end edge portion needle drop point of thesecond end portion to the head portion needle drop point of an adjacentinterlocking element each pass a respective one of sides of the legportion of the interlocking element in the longitudinal direction of thestring portion.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the slidefastener includes a pair of interlocking element linked members and aslider which links and separates the pair of interlocking element linkedmembers, and the end edge portion needle drop point provided in thefirst end portion and the end edge portion needle drop point provided inthe second end portion are provided within a range in which the sliderpasses over the work piece.
 3. The method according to claim 2, whereina stitch of the sewing is formed by a stitch of lock stitching.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein a stitch of the sewing is formed bya stitch of lock stitching.
 5. The method according to claim 4, whereinthe stitch of the lock stitching is formed by zigzag sewing.
 6. A methodfor sewing a slide fastener to sew an interlocking element linked memberof the slide fastener to an end edge portion of a work piece, the slidefastener including the interlocking element linked member in which aplurality of interlocking elements are linked with a string portion, theinterlocking element including a leg portion supported by the stringportion and a head portion which interlocks with an interlocking elementof another interlocking element linked member as a pair and whichprojects from the leg portion, and the sewing method comprising: bysewing, forming a head portion needle drop point on a head portion sideof the interlocking element with relation to the string portion and endedge portion needle drop points on an end edge portion side of the workpiece with relation to the string portion, the end edge portion needledrop points being provided in positions comprising (i) two positionscomprising a first end portion and a second end portion, the first endportion and the second end portion being provided in a range on an innerside of a width of the leg portion of the interlocking element in thelongitudinal direction of the string portion, and (ii) a position whichis in a range farther from the interlocking element than the first andsecond end portions and which is in the range on the inner side of thewidth of the leg portion of the interlocking element; and sewing inwhich sewing thread from the head portion needle drop point to the endedge portion needle drop point provided in the first end portion andsewing thread from the end edge portion needle drop point provided inthe second end portion to the head portion needle drop point of anadjacent interlocking element each pass a respective one of sides of theleg portion of the interlocking element in a longitudinal direction ofthe string portion.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the endedge needle drop point is within an overlapped portion at which the workpiece is folded.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: the slidefastener includes a pair of interlocking element linked members and aslider which links and separates the pair of interlocking element linkedmembers, and the end edge portion needle drop point provided in thefirst end portion and the end edge portion needle drop point provided inthe second end portion are provided within a range in which the sliderpasses over the work piece.
 9. The method according to claim 7, whereina stitch of the sewing is formed by a stitch of lock stitching.
 10. Themethod according to claim 6, wherein: the slide fastener includes a pairof interlocking element linked members and a slider which links andseparates the pair of interlocking element linked members, and the endedge portion needle drop point provided in the first end portion and theend edge portion needle drop point provided in the second end portionare provided within a range in which the slider passes over the workpiece.
 11. The method according to claim 6, wherein a stitch of thesewing is formed by a stitch of lock stitching.
 12. A slide fastenerproduct comprising: a slide fastener including: a pair of interlockingelement linked members in which a plurality of interlocking elements arelinked with a string portion; and a slider in which the pair ofinterlocking element linked members are linked and separated, and a workpiece including an end edge portion, wherein: each interlocking elementlinked member in the pair of interlocking element linked members is sewnseparately in one of two positions of the end edge portion, theinterlocking element includes a leg portion supported by the stringportion and a head portion which interlocks with an interlocking elementof another interlocking element linked member as a pair and whichprojects from the leg portion, a head portion needle drop point isformed by sewing on a head portion side of the interlocking element withrelation to the string portion and end edge portion needle drop pointsare formed by sewing on an end edge portion side of the work piece withrelation to the string portion, the end edge portion needle drop pointsare provided in at least two positions, the at least two positionscomprising a first end portion and a second end portion, and the firstend portion and the second end portion being provided within anoverlapped portion at which the work piece is folded, within a rangetoward a tip side of the end edge portion relative to a position that ishalf of an overlapped width in the overlapped portion along a projectingdirection of the head portion of the interlocking element, and within arange on an inner side of a width of the leg portion of the interlockingelement in a longitudinal direction of the string portion, and sewingthread passing from the head portion needle drop point to the end edgeportion needle drop point of the first end portion and sewing threadpassing from the end edge portion needle drop point of the second endportion to the head portion needle drop point of an adjacentinterlocking element each pass a respective one of sides of the legportion of the interlocking element.
 13. The slide fastener productaccording to claim 12, wherein the end edge portion needle drop pointprovided in the first end portion and the end edge portion needle droppoint provided in the second end portion are provided within a range inwhich the slider passes over the work piece.
 14. The slide fastenerproduct according to claim 13, wherein a stitch of the sewing is formedby a stitch of lock stitching.
 15. The slide fastener product accordingto claim 12, wherein a stitch of the sewing is formed by a stitch oflock stitching.
 16. The slide fastener product according to claim 15,wherein the stitch of the lock stitching is formed by zigzag sewing. 17.A slide fastener product comprising: a slide fastener including: a pairof interlocking element linked members in which a plurality ofinterlocking elements are linked with a string portion; and a slider inwhich the pair of interlocking element linked members are linked andseparated, and a work piece including an end edge portion, wherein: eachinterlocking element linked member in the pair of interlocking elementlinked members is sewn separately in one of two positions of the endedge portion, the interlocking element includes a leg portion supportedby the string portion and a head portion which interlocks with aninterlocking element of another interlocking element linked member as apair and which projects from the leg portion, a head portion needle droppoint is formed by sewing on a head portion side of the interlockingelement with relation to the string portion and end edge portion needledrop points are formed by sewing on an end edge portion side of the workpiece with relation to the string portion, the end edge portion needledrop points are provided in positions comprising (i) two positionscomprising a first end portion and a second end portion, the first endportion and the second end portion being provided in a range on an innerside of a width of the leg portion of the interlocking element in thelongitudinal direction of the string portion, and (ii) a position whichis in a range farther from the interlocking element than the first andsecond end portions and which is in the range on the inner side of thewidth of the leg portion of the interlocking element, and sewing threadfrom the head portion needle drop point to the end edge portion needledrop point provided in the first end portion and sewing thread from theend edge portion needle drop point provided in the second end portion tothe head portion needle drop point of an adjacent interlocking elementeach pass a respective one of sides of the leg portion of theinterlocking element.
 18. The slide fastener product according to claim17, wherein the end edge needle drop point is within an overlappedportion at which the work piece is folded along the end edge portion.19. The slide fastener product according to claim 18, wherein the endedge portion needle drop point provided in the first end portion and theend edge portion needle drop point provided in the second end portionare provided within a range in which the slider passes over the workpiece.
 20. The slide fastener product according to claim 18, wherein astitch of the sewing is formed by a stitch of lock stitching.
 21. Theslide fastener product according to claim 17, wherein the end edgeportion needle drop point provided in the first end portion and the endedge portion needle drop point provided in the second end portion areprovided within a range in which the slider passes over the work piece.22. The slide fastener product according to claim 17, wherein a stitchof the sewing is formed by a stitch of lock stitching.